Bird of Paradise
by ExtirpateInterAlia
Summary: All Falkner really wanted was to be left alone in his own world, surrounded by birds. But being a Gym Leader having to face so many challengers, he will never be left alone with his birds. Not unless he takes matters into his own hands. Warning.


He loved birds. He loved birds more than he loved himself. Birds were the world to him and nothing else mattered. Birds were his entire being. All that he ever wanted to be in life was to be a bird. And all that he ever needed to be happy was to be surrounded by birds. In the entire world, the only things sacred; the only things pure; the only things beautiful were birds. The world was made for birds alone.

Birds.

Birds!

**BIRDS!**

* * *

This was supposed to be a dream come true. People thought that he became Gym Leader just to follow in his father's footsteps. He told those who asked that he did it because he loved Pokémon. And it was true – but not just any kind of Pokémon. **BIRD** **Pokémon**. And being a Gym Leader meant he could always be with his beloved birds.

Immediately, most of the inner structure of the Gym had been renovated. Useless walls had been demolished to create a single large room, with a multitude of roosting places installed to accommodate flocks of bird Pokémon. He had taken up his residence here, so that he could always be with his precious birds.

And indeed, bird Pokémon of all kinds were housed in his Gym. Most of the initial inhabitants were tempted into taking up residence in his Gym because of the food and shelter that he generously offered them. The later residents were captured by the dozens from the neighbouring routes, from the forests, even from the Safari Zone. All of them brought wholesale into his Gym, because a few hundred birds were not enough for him. Not even a thousand. He had sent his Gym trainers to faraway lands and places to capture more birds for him. All the birds of the world will all be brought to him. And here in his gym, his Bird Paradise; and amongst all his precious birds, he would be lord of them all – the most exquisite Bird-of-Paradise.

But being a Gym Leader also meant that much of his precious time for his beloved birds had to be taken away for battling instead. These pesky trainers! _Increasingly incessant irritations interrupting his intimacy._ Something had to be done to keep these distractions away, so that he could focus on his beautiful birds.

* * *

"… H-Hello?" A small, uncertain and muffled voice came to him, albeit scarcely audible above the din of all the birds squawking and chirping. Those lovely and glorious sounds were like music to his ears! Turning his head slowly to face the source of this disruption to the chorus of cawing, he saw a young boy, perhaps around 13 or 14 years of age, clad in a simple t-shirt and shorts, with a cap sitting backwards on his head. The boy was clutching the front of his shirt over his nose and mouth and was standing close to the entrance of his Paradise, squinting at him. What insolence was this!

"What do you want? Why have you come?" He demanded coldly, his piercing hawk-like stare cutting like a knife at the intruder. Who was this trespasser who dared enter and defile his avian sanctuary?

"E-Erm… I was… er… wanting to c-challenge the erm… the Gym L-Leader…" the Youngster hesitated while moving slowly towards him.

* * *

He had heard that the Violet City Gym was something of a giant aviary but the scene which he beheld was much more overwhelming than that. When he had entered the gym and stood in the anteroom, the odour of bird droppings was already apparent while the racket of an innumerable flock of birds in the inner chamber pierced at him. In this small room had stood a simple table, and on it a large and shallow plastic container filled with gym badges. In front of this was a paper which said "For challengers. Take one and leave." The handwritten note was barely legible, in a messy and scraggly script that almost looked as if a bird had tried its claws at writing with a fountain pen.

How could this be? Didn't League rules dictate that a Gym Leader could only issue badges to trainers who beat him or her in an official gym match? Surely this must have been some kind of a test for newbie trainers like himself. As curiosity and confusion got the better of him, he moved towards the handle-less door with a large "Do Not Enter" sign on it and pushed. It creaked from disrepair but opened with some difficulty.

Here, the full force of the feculent stench and deafening bedlam of squawking and screeching hit him full force, nearly knocking him off his feet like a plane racing down a runway bowling over a hapless Zigzagoon that happened to be in its path. Resisting the violent nausea that suddenly assaulted him, he lifted the collar of his t-shirt to cover his nose and mouth and took in his surroundings. He could barely see the ceiling or even the opposite wall of the high room, with bird Pokémon roosting and flying and hopping and moving everywhere in every possible space in the massive but very crowded room. He could not even begin to count how many birds were contained in this hall, nor even the number of species they were. The acrid fetor stung his eyes and made them water, while the bustle of so much activity from so many birds made him dizzy. All over, the wooden floor was covered with feathers and bird droppings, mostly hardened but some fresh. The mire of white, brown and black stains and gunk all over the floor made him move only a few steps into the hall before he perceived a human-like figure standing in the middle of the room.

"… H-Hello?" he called out uncertainly. Was this the Gym Leader?

The figure, clothed in tattered and faded rags streaked with bird droppings, slowly turned its head sideways to look at him, like a Xatu tilting its head as it turns to look into the future.

"What do you want? Why have you come?" the figure eventually hissed at him after a pause, reminding him of how a Chatot would hiss at people whenever it was annoyed.

"E-Erm… I was… er… wanting to c-challenge the erm… the Gym L-Leader…"

He could barely hear himself above the racket of the birds and began moving cautiously between scores of birds pecking at the floor towards the figure who stared unblinkingly at him.

"M-My name is J-Joey…"

"DID YOU NOT READ THE SIGNS OUTSIDE?! LEAVE NOW!" the figure screeched at him in an almost eagle-like manner.

"I-I did but isn't that a-against the L-League rules? W-we should at… at least have a b-battle…"

Despite the fact that he was quaking with terror and nausea, Youngster Joey was not one to back down so easily. After all, wasn't his Rattata in the top percentage of all Rattata?

The figure eyed him closely but still unblinkingly, like a falcon appraising its prey before striking. "A battle? A battle?!" he squawked incredulously. How dare this rude youngster even suggest inflicting violence on his beautiful and precious birds? The very notion was absolutely outrageous!

"YOU WANT A BATTLE?! I'LL GIVE YOU A BATTLE!" he screeched with sudden fury.

Upon letting out a high-pitched bird whistle, the ruckus in the room immediately ceased. Every Spearow, Pidgey, Starly, Tailow and every other bird quickly took their perch and stared silently. Rows upon rows of beady unblinkingly eyes and gleaming beaks fixed on their master in the centre of the room awaiting his command. The sudden deathly stillness was such that one could almost hear or feel a feather drop.

Staring straight at Joey with a raptorial glare, Falkner lift a single finger and pointed at the boy.

"PECK!"

Immediately, all the birds let out a collective screech and dove straight at their target, the din and chaos resuming. Falkner watched coldly as the screaming boy disappeared from his sight, swamped by his magnificent birds tearing at him with vicious abandon. A mighty flock of righteous avian anger, meting out collective judgement on the sinner. Joey's agonised screams only lasted for a few seconds before they were cut short by a Fearow stabbing through his neck and tearing out his jugular vein. He was mostly dead before he could fully feel the birds ripping off his skin, tearing at his face and belly.

Eventually, when Falkner was sufficiently satisfied that the "battle" had ended, he let his precious birds disperse and preen themselves clean while he moved to dispose of the bloody mess on the floor that had once been Youngster Joey. Even in death, Falkner was still incensed that the boy had tainted his paradise with his filthy blood.

* * *

It was night when a Pidgeot landed right outside Dark Cave, on the outskirts of Violet City. Falkner rarely left his Paradise and when he did, it was usually to Dark Cave. Upon entering the cave and letting out a caw, the darkness stirred to life as Murkrows, Honchkrows and Mandibuzzes came out from their hidden nests in the crevices to greet their master.

Without a word said, Falkner disdainfully opened the body bag and dumped the butchered slab of meat on the floor of the cave. This was a well-rehearsed routine. After tearing off the skin and organs of these foolish trainers who trespassed into his inner sanctum, whatever remains would be left for his nocturnal birds in Dark Cave to finish off – to pick the remaining flesh off their bones and deal with the skeletal remains. At least the birds that he kept at his secret second paradise would be happy.

* * *

Falkner could not understand these trainers who refused to take a badge and leave quietly. Fools! They all were. Only using Pokémon merely for battles. How could they not see the supreme beauty that each and every bird held? As he flew back to his gym, he could feel tears coming to his eyes as thought of the utter disregard these imbeciles had for birds. These idiots were blind; blind, brash and brutish! Constantly invading his sacred space to declare war on his cherished birds. More than anything, they were annoyances and distractions from his Bird Paradise that held him closely in its feathery embrace. Oh, how he had fought to keep these profane humans at bay from infiltrating his paradise!

Finally, he reached the familiar decaying building and stepped inside, allowing himself to be comforted by the sweet warmth and commotion of birds that greeted him. As scores of bird Pokémon came to perch on him, he felt utter bliss. Only in his paradise could he feel such heaven because only birds could reside in there.

Yet, in the back of his mind, a dark and unnerving thought still gnawed at Falkner, its talons scratching at him – he could never fully become a bird. He could never match those sacred, beautiful and majestic beings. As long as he was there, his Bird Paradise would not be pure. He would never be the Bird of Paradise.


End file.
